I recently purchased a 1994 Buick
Regal Limited with 126,000 kilometers.
This car looks and runs like new,
except for noises from the back
when reversing, and some popping
from the right rear when hitting
bumps.

I purchased new
Delco replacement cartridges for
the front struts and new Monroe
Econo struts for the rear. After
installation it is hard to believe
it is the same car. The Buick drives
just like new.

Thanks RockAuto.
After paying for the parts, freight,
tax etc., I saved almost $300!

Jack in Nova Scotia

Carlisle Events
RockAuto is the Official Auto Parts Store of Carlisle Events

You
may have noticed as you browse through
the RockAuto Catalog for catalytic
converters and oxygen sensors some
parts work for Non-California Emissions
while others work for California (CA)
Emissions. As there are some common
misconceptions regarding CA emissions,
hopefully we can clear things up for
you!

When it comes to
vehicle emissions, there are two regulating
authorities:

U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) - governs
the Federal law throughout the country

California Air
Resources Board (CARB) - which governs
emission laws in the state of California
and 13 additional states that follow
CA emissions laws

Although 13 additional
states follow CA emissions only California
applies its strict regulations to
the use of aftermarket replacement
converters. To know which converter
the 13 other states will allow you
to use you must determine if a vehicle
was built to meet federal or CA emissions.

To properly determine
whether your car has CA emissions
or Federal emissions you should check
the emissions system label typically
found in one of three places: on the
front radiator support, the strut
tower plate, or under the engine hood.

Find
Catalytic Converters and more in the
"Exhaust" category of the
RockAuto
catalog.

Forum of the Month

ToyotaNation
is the best hang-out for owners of
all things Toyota. Founded early 2001
in Toronto, Canada, ToyotaNation is
the largest, and fastest-growing international
community of Toyota owners and enthusiasts
in the world. ToyotaNation has regular
meetings and events organized by its
own members, all over North America.

Initially targeted
to only North America audiences, it's
online community has now reached out
to other Toyota enthusiasts globally
- from countries such as Australia,
the United Kingdom, and the Philippines
to name a few.

The ToyotaNation
focus is to be the principal source
of news and data relating to all things
Toyota. It is their goal as ToyotaNation
to be the heart of the Toyota community
as a unique gathering place and resource
for both owners and devotees.

If you are the
administrator or member of a forum
and you would like to see your website
featured in an upcoming newsletter
and receive a discount code to share
with your members, contact jessa@rockauto.com.

Repair Mistakes & Blunders

When
I was 16 I owned a 1966 Plymouth Fury.
I enjoyed the car and did most of
the mechanical work myself. One weekend
I decided to replace the rear brake
shoes. Simple enough I thought, just
remove the wheel, brake drum, brake
linkage, brake shoes, have the drums
turned, then reverse the procedure.
How hard can it be?

The driver's side rear wheel lug nuts
came off fine. The passenger side
was another story. After snapping
two lug nuts off, I decided to take
the car over to my girlfriend's dad's
house. After all, he was a mechanical
genius, surely he wouldn't snap any
lug nuts. But, after some colorful
language, he snapped off a lug nut.
We were both extremely frustrated
and called it a day.

Later that night, my girlfriend and
I were watching tv, when all of a
sudden we hear a loud "AH HA!!!".
Her dad comes walking downstairs with
his pajamas on, shaking his head.
He heads straight into the garage,
grabs a lug nut wrench, and proceeds
to turn the lug wrench CLOCKWISE to
loosen the remaining lug nuts. The
passenger lug nuts were left handed!
The opposite direction of the driver's
side lug nuts.

He slams the lug nut down, slams the
front door closed, walks right past
us, slams his bedroom door closed
and without a word, goes to bed. My
girlfriend and I could not stop laughing.
The next day we repair the lug nut
damage and had another good laugh.

To this day,
my now father-in-law occasionally
reminds me of the incident...and grins.

Ron in Missouri

Tell us about your most infamous auto repair blunder or unconventional fix. Use your woe to help others avoid similar mistakes or share off-the-wall solutions that worked (at least for awhile!). Please email your story to flamur@rockauto.com. Include your mailing address and shirt size (large or extra large) and we will mail you a RockAuto "Do it yourself?" t-shirt if we publish your story (see the t-shirts under Extras in the catalog). The story will be credited using only your first name and your vague geographic location (state, province, country, continent, etc.) so you can remain semi-anonymous!

Every
now and then car manufacturers make
the mistake of fixing something that
is not broken. Remember around 1970
when GM, Ford, and Chrysler tried
turning the entire steering wheel
rim into a horn button? It generated
unwanted horn honks and then often
failed to work when a honk was desperately
needed.

Or sometimes government
regulations can take some of the blame.
My wife’s 1993 Ford Tempo has
those electric seatbelts that were
a bad alternative to air bags. The
shoulder belt automatically whirrs
up and down every time you open the
door, but you still need to manually
install the lap belt. Simple, safe,
reliable seatbelts were transformed
into a repair headache.

There are the fixes
that some like and some loathe. Headlight
dimmer switches mounted on the floor
were the industry standard from the
1920s until the last one disappeared
in the early ‘90s. Want to dim
your headlights or turn on the high
beams? Just push the big button on
the floor with your left foot. Maybe
that was not the best idea for cars
with limited floor space or manual
transmissions, but I sure like floor-mounted
switches.

Now almost every
car has a unique dimmer switch. After
accidentally turning on the windshield
wipers or pulling on the wrong stalk
a few times, I eventually get used
to the different steering column mounted
headlight dimmer switches.

Then there is the
difference in cost. A new floor mounted
dimmer switch button made by Standard
Motor Products for my ’79 Chrysler
300 currently costs less than $3 at
RockAuto. A new dimmer, turn signal,
hazard lights combination switch for
my wife’s ’93 Ford currently
costs less than $25. A dimmer, turn
signal, cruise control and windshield
wiper combination switch for a 2001
Chevy Impala currently costs over
$300!

Will dimmer switch
complexity and cost continue to climb
at the same rate? Will we see $30,000
dimmer switches by 2021? Don’t
invest in dimmer switch futures just
yet. Some car companies are apparently
cutting back on the functions of their
combination switches. The relatively
simple headlight dimmer and turn signal
switch made by Airtex / Wells for
a 2008 Chevy Equinox currently costs
less than $45.

Who knows, maybe
floor mounted dimmer switch buttons
will come back eventually. The young
whipper snappers might even think
floor dimmer switches are new and
high tech!

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com

Gerry's 1972 Buick GS

My
car is a 1972 Buick GS. It is a rare,
fully documented numbers matching
vehicle, that began its life in Fremont,
CA. destined for Alberta, Canada.
The car has had four different owners
in Alberta. Fortunately the province
uses very little salt on the roads.
The previous owner stored it for over
10 years and I became the fifth owner
in September of 2000.

The years I spent
restoring the car to original condition
was a labor of love. The Buick has
won several awards and was also featured
in an Old Autos newspaper and magazine.
I have found the RockAuto personnel
to be courteous and knowledgeable
of their products. The best thing
is that the parts are in stock. Prices
are excellent and delivery has been
punctual.

Thanks RockAuto,
Gerry in Canada

Share Your Hard WorkDo you purchase parts from RockAuto? If so, RockAuto would like to feature you and your car or truck in our monthly newsletter. Please email flamur@rockauto.com with details.